Friday morning headlines

Stocks bouncing around: This is the final day of the quarter, so you should expect a bumpy ride. At last check, Dow was down 20.

Consumer mood improves: No longer horrible - just miserable. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index is at 59.4, up from 57.8 earlier in the month. The index finished at 55.7 in August. (Reuters)

Outrage over B of A's debit card fee: And switching to another bank may not be the answer because other institutions are likely to impose a fee as well. This is the result of Congress capping the debit fees charged to retailers. From The Atlantic:

The only thing surprising about this news is that Congress was so blind to reality that they expected anything different. Did they really believe that banks would just shrug when their revenues declined by billions of dollars? Since they can't get as much money from customers indirectly through debit interchange fees paid by retailers any longer, they're going the direct route and charging customers for using debit.

Gas prices drop a bit: An average gallon of regular in the L.A. area was $3.875, down about a nickel from last week - and a much slower decline than that of oil. (Auto Club).

Wall Street bearish on Perry: And for all the obvious reasons. From the WSJ:

Some bankers say they would prefer a more moderate candidate, and worry the Texas governor's style and stances on social issues could sink him in the general election. Their unease, along with rules against governors accepting money from certain financial executives, could crimp Mr. Perry's ability to tap into his party's single biggest source of cash. "Wall Street would only really go for him if they thought he could win--and they don't," said Rick Hohlt, a Washington lobbyist and Republican fund-raiser.

Netflix penetration: Stunning stat: More than a third of all Americans ages 13-54 use the movie rental service at least once a month, according to a study. No wonder there's such a fuss over prices. (THR)

Big payday for fired executive: Ousted H-P CEO Léo Apotheker is leaving with $13.2 million in cash and stock. Shareholders should be so lucky: H-P stock lost nearly half its value during his 11-month tenure. (San Jose Mercury News)

Kobe's Italian deal almost set: The Lakers star will be paid $3 million to play about 10 games for the team Virtus Bologna. The contract allows Bryant to return to the Lakers immediately when the lockout ends. (AP)